Counterfeit Foods

News and information about counterfeit food products and the sale of mislabeled foods. The data about various forms of food fraud and substandard foods are collected from public health officials, criminal justice reports and other public information sources.

According to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the most popular counterfeit food products in the world were kiwis, preserved vegetables, powdered milk, butter, ghee, baby food, instant coffee, alcoholic drinks and corn seeds.

According to an official with the Food and Drug Administration, olive oil is one of the most counterfeited food product in the United States.

In the state of Connecticut, consumer protection officials seized bottles labelled as extra-virgin olive oil that contained 90 percent soybean oil, and tests in the state of California found that 60 to 70 percent of extra virgin olive oils tested contained lower quality oil.

The North America Olive Oil Association stated that most counterfeit olive oils and fraudulent use tends to occur in restaurants rather then bottling plants.